The purchase price gets all the attention, but the ongoing cost of ownership as a non-resident is what actually determines whether an investment performs the way the spreadsheet promised.
IBI (annual property tax) and basura (rubbish collection tax) are fixed, modest, and easy to forget when comparing purchase options — but they're due every year regardless of whether the property is rented.
Non-resident income tax applies to rental income at a flat rate, with different rules and allowances for EU/EEA versus non-EU residents — this is worth confirming with a tax adviser before finalizing yield projections, not after.
Community fees vary enormously by development — a modern complex with pools, gardens, and security carries meaningfully higher fees than a smaller, simpler building, and this is disclosed in the community statutes, not always volunteered by a seller.
Add a maintenance and vacancy buffer on top of all of this — the properties in Estepona that perform best financially are the ones bought with these ongoing numbers modeled honestly from day one, not discovered a year in.